Behind The Gates
by LostInThePost
Summary: The gates are opened. The quesion is, what is behind them? Tris finds out, but begins to wish that she didn't... [One-shot]


_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea (well, unless some other pansycake has used my idea!)_

* * *

Today was the day. The day that everything would be revealed. The day we would find out exactly what was awaiting us on the other side of those gates. Oh, how I wish I never did find out...

* * *

"Scared?" Tobias asks, his voice wavering. I can tell he's just as terrified as me. The greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. I try not to dwell on it. We stand in a mass of people, all from various factions, uniting as one. It had been decided in a meeting between the faction leaders that a handful of us from each faction would go through the gates, shortly followed by the rest of the factions. Of course, Tobias and I are two of those chosen from Dauntless.

I turn towards Tobias and nod my head in response to his question. I don't trust my voice to reply. I shuffle closer to him, seeking reassurance.

"Attention." a voice calls out from a speaker near the Amity gates. "The gates will open in 15 seconds."

There is a collective sharp intake of breath from the crowd but it soon dissolves into silence. The silence is uncomfortable and only heightens my fear.

"Ten!" a Dauntless man shouts, his tattooed fist pumping the air.

"Nine!"

More people join in, counting down.

"Eight!"

My heartbeat thunders in my ears as my hands tremble.

"Seven!"

I hear Tobias' voice join the countdown. He smiles weakly at me, a sign of reassurance and comfort and for a brief second my anxiety vanishes.

"Six!"

The crowd slowly begins to shuffle closer to the gates, bodies packed tightly together, desperate to find out what's behind the gates.

"Five!"

My hand finds Tobias' and I clutch it tightly. I lace my fingers through his, trying to stay as close to him as possible.

"Four!"

The crowd pushes and shoves to the extend where I nearly let go of Tobias' hand.

"Three!"

I join in with the chanting, unable to resist this call of freedom.

"Two!"

Tobias clenches the hand that's holding mine and I bite back a whimper. The tension is too much.

"One!"

The gates open. Then it happens. What first starts out as a slither of light that escapes from beyond the gates turns into a beam. An infinite white beam of light greets us, blinding to look at. I squint, trying to make out what is beyond this blazing white.

The light proceeds to engulf me. My hand slips out of Tobias'. My knees tremble. The light that invaded my vision transforms to darkness and I feel nothing at all.

* * *

The first thing I register is pain. My back aches, my entire body is throbbing; a dull, consistent pain. With all the strength I have, I force my eyes to open. Slowly, my vision is restored. I am in a grey room of machinery, clamped down onto a metal table-like surface.

"Ah, you're awake." A man with dark hair announces, typing hurriedly into a machine. His voice is familiar but very distant, as if I'm trying to recall a dream. I try to squirm out of the metal rings that secure me to the surface but fail. Numerous wires are secured to various places on my body, all linking at the machine where the man is working.

When the man clothed in black turns around I recognise immediately who it is. It's Tobias.

"T-Tobias," I gasp, relief coursing through my body. Instantly, I relax.

"Hi, Beatrice." he smiles. The way he says my name makes it sound foreign. I wonder for a moment why he didn't call me Tris.

"I'm so glad to see you!" I exclaim, desperate to run up to him and hug him.

Tobias raises an eyebrow and laughs to himself. "Your mother is here."

My mother? But she's gone... What?

A door slides open and my mother enters the room, dressed in grey, smiling at me.

"Here's the paperwork." Tobias tells my mother, handing her a secured envelope. What is going on!? Tobias presses a button on his machine and the metal rings constricting me immediately open. Instantly, I race over to Tobias, wrapping my arms tightly around him. After a moment of hesitation, he pushes me away.

"Beatrice, what are you doing?" he asks, confusion displaying clearly on his face.

"I'm sorry about Beatrice, she must be a little confused." my mother apologises, frowning at me.

"What's going on?!" I ask, my eyes darting between the pair of them.

"Beatrice," Tobias begins hesitantly, "you volunteered to take part in a simulation, as research for the Erudite. Whatever happened isn't real. It was just a simulation."

His words send pain searing through my body. _It was just a simulation. _No, it can't be!

"Come on now, Beatrice, we have to get back to Abnegation. Your volunteering is over. Thank you, Tobias." my mother informs, lightly grabbing my arm and guiding me out of the room. I look over my shoulder at Tobias, who still looks both confused and amused. As I turn away from him, something catches my eye. My clothing... It's grey. Then I realise that I am Abnegation. I'm not Dauntless.

My mother and I walk through the streets. A train slows besides us, as a few members of Dauntless jump off. I observe their quick movements and recognise the group. Christina, Will and Uriah are laughing together, a content group of friends. For a short moment my eyes meet Christina's. She rewards me with a blank stare. She doesn't know me!

"Hey, Stiff," Uriah calls. "What's up?"

My mother frowns at me in disapproval of my blatant staring. Conforming to my Abnegation ways, I ignore Uriah and continue my walking, avoiding eye contact.

The train zooms by, speeding into the night. It reminds me of the life I lived but never had. The life I wish I had, but also wish I didn't have. It was only a simulation. Now, I must find a way to move on. But with these constant memories of the simulation flooding through my mind, I find it extremely hard to move on.

It wasn't real. Now I must accept that.

* * *

_A/N: I know I should update my other stories, but this happened. I don't know even why I made this. What do you think? _


End file.
